Palestinian court suspends local elections

High court decision comes after disputes between the rival Fatah and Hamas movements over candidate lists.

08 Sep 2016 11:37 GMT

There has been no Palestinian presidential election since 2005 [Reuters]

The Palestinian high court in Ramallah has ordered the suspension of local elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip scheduled for October 8.

The elections would have been the first democratic exercise in the Palestinian territories in a decade but cannot go ahead after disputes between the rival Fatah and Hamas groups over candidate lists as well as the inability to hold the vote in East Jerusalem, which has been annexed by Israel.

"Elections can't take place in one place and not the other," the presiding judge of the Ramallah court said in his ruling.

"The election can't take place in Jerusalem and its neighbourhoods. Also, there are problems with the formation of courts in Gaza ... Therefore, the court decides to stop the election."